Beware the performance reset—it’s a double-edged sword!

Yes, they help low performers, but it turns out they HURT high ones.

A new study finds that for people who were already doing well, resets are demotivating and actually cause #performance to decline!

The study analyzed archival data from Major League Baseball, and found that when traded across leagues, players with high batting averages saw a 13-point decline!

What’s going on here?

The researcher say resets affect self-efficacy, or confidence about future performance.

“Given a chance to put past performance failures behind them, employees may…recover more easily,” she writes.

“However, managers should be aware that performance resets affect employees differently…. [They] may consider communicating positive expectations to and instilling confidence in top performers when a reset occurs.”

From HBR Sept/Oct 2019

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Your turn: have you ever wanted a chance to hit the reset button?